I had to giggle at this. My best sits in this regard seem to be folks around my age (mid-50s to retired), while my experiences with most younger HOs are similar to your description.
Not a ding really…it’s pretty much what I see with my own 20/30-something kids. As long as it’s not super-gross, I just do a good clean at the start, and then get on with things.
Somewhat surprised to receive an email nearly 3 years after the original post. To be clear I have never said immaculate. Just “treat others as you would want to be treated”. Clean up your own mess and care for my dog. Is my bottom line. Read my reviews! Have never complained about cleanliness - never needed to! But let’s be clear this is a two way benefit. Yes as sitter I care for your pets but as a HO I provide you with free accommodation in an area where people come to holiday. Suits us all I think!
When I first joined THS, I just assumed - assumed - that I would have to leave a home immaculate. But I’ve learned a lot since them, mostly from this Forum. When I had my own cats and had a service to come in and feed them twice daily (they needed meds), I expected that service to take in the mail and water the plants. But never clean - beyond what mess the cats made with litter scatter etc.
And if a friend of family member came to stay and take care of my cats, I would like for them to leave the house the way they found it. Out of respect to my family, I typically left the house very clean. I hate cleaning my house so had a professional cleaner (weirdly, I enjoy cleaning other people’s houses; I just hated cleaning my own). And I made it clear to my friend or family member that I had that cleaning service so they didn’t have to do a deep clean when they left.
One of the questions I now ask homeowners in a video call is, “What negative experiences have you had with sitters?” A few have told me, “Well, we had a sitter that didn’t leave things as clean as we would like but since the cats were happy we let it go”. I’ll sit for those HOs. But one said, “Well he only cleaned the rooms he used and we thought he’d clean the whole house” - and I declined that sit.
Yes, leave me out of any sits where a host expects me to clean what I don’t use. That sounds like someone trying to get whole-house cleaning and is too cheap to pay for it.
That is why I do not have a problem when the master is locked. I don’t enter the room, I don’t clean the room. I never want to clean a master bath. I like having another bathroom that I use and then clean. Many times I have a guest suite which is like having a master bath, but isn’t full of their things.
I don’t take sits when there’s an expectation to wash and dry linens, let alone remake the bed. It’s exhausting to do all that plus the regular cleaning like washing the bathtub, sinks, sweeping and/or vacuuming floors, making sure all the pet care for the morning or longer is done, and pack everything up and then pack the car. I don’t take sits with less than two bedrooms because I understand the HO will also be exhausted when they come home and it’s a lot for them to have to make up their bed. I’m not a digital nomad, so I never feel pressure to fill in time slots with sits and just pass over the ones that don’t offer a separate bed or pullout couch for the sitter. In the video call, I ask them what they like sitters to do for cleanup at the end of the sit. If they say I’m expected to wash and dry and fold or remake the bed, I know it won’t be a good fit for me. I also check sitter reviews and their reviews from the HO to see how fussy the HO is about cleanliness. I have always gotten five stars for cleanliness, and in the review HOs usually mention how they returned to an immaculate home. So I’m willing to leave the home in very good shape but draw the line at washing the linens. Most of my HOs have asked me to strip the bed and leave my sheets and towels in a designated place, sometimes just on the floor and sometimes by the washing machine or in a hamper.
Exactly!! I have hoovered and tidied a house as found it BUT I leaving tomorrow so will give a quick hoover, etc before I leave.
Many of my HOs say I don’t have to wash the linens, but I get up early, so I feel it is not a big deal to wash them and remake the bed. I have left them in the laundry if leaving early, like if they returned home late and I spent the night – rarely, but then I don’t do laundry in the morning.
Oooooo…this is an EXCELLENT interview question. I am SO borrowing this — thank you!
Sorry about that @SallyS51. I think the common advice people are given is to search for existing threads on a topic before creating a new one. When followed, I expect it results in a decent number of necro-threads being revived…
“Necro-threads”! 
Love it.
That’s the problem right there. It’s not “your vacation”.
If sitters choose TH in lieu of a hotel when they travel, it is their vacation, too. Sitters choose animal care, not full-on house-keeping.
It is a vacation for lots of sitters - a slow travel, live like a local, hang out with furry friends type of holiday. One where we swap our pet care for accommodation so that we aren’t paying for a hotel or airbnb. It’s definitely not a job that’s for sure. #happyholidays
We have had some fantastic vacations whilst Pet sitting
If it’s not my vacation, then why was I swimming with loons yesterday?
Currently on vacation in a beautiful home with an amazing garden in a popular tourist town. We’ve been swimming in the pool. We are sleeping in a luxurious guest room with an en-suite and a huge comfortable bed with luxury linens which will be collected by the local laundry at the end of the sit . The cleaner and gardener have been here for a morning to take care of those tasks ( as they usually would for the host ) .
All in exchange for taking care of a well behaved and loving dog ( feeding her twice a day, walking her once a day and keeping her company . If we want to go out visiting without her we can leave her for 5 hours at a time ( she’s used to that and sleeps a lot). If we want to take her with us she’s great on trains, in the car , at the pub or cafe .
That’s why THS works, mutual exchange and a vacation for hosts and sitters .
Sounds very similar to the sit we’re currently on- dreamy house and dog, phenomenal HOs, everything top top 5* what a difference it makes to the whole experience and it becomes a holiday not a service.
We just had a wonderful one month ‘vacation’ sit down in the south of France. Friendly & welcoming hosts who we got on very well with- they cooked for us on arrival and we cooked on their return. Lovely comfortable, super clean, home with a great bed and a beautiful pool, and the most gorgeous cuddly undemanding cat ever! Fabulous scenery all around. All absolutely heavenly.
Some sits are pretty demanding and feel like hard work, some are a serious learning curve, some are uncomfortable for a number of reasons, uninteresting, or just plain boring. One was is a horror sit we couldn’t wait to leave.
So when we get a sit like the one we just completed we feel truly blessed. 
oooo…please share the listing so I can favorite it, in case you can’t do their sit next time